Natamycin is an important tetraene (polyene) antibiotic produced in submerged culture by different strains of Streptomyces sp. In the present work, the effects of the addition of short-chain carboxylic acids (acetic, propionic and butyric) on cell growth and the kinetics of natamycin production were investigated during submerged cultivation of Streptomyces natalensis.